A few days ago I was surprised to see a news report in The Times of India titled ‘Priti Patel accused of smearing Sikhs in a speech to the US think tank’. The speech had been made on 19 November 2021 to Washington DC-based think tank, Heritage Foundation and was published on the UK Government’s website on 22 November. I was travelling at the time for a seminar in Shillong, but even if I had been in town, I doubt if the speech would have drawn my attention.
Almost four months later, the media came up with the above story based on activism by a member of the Sikh Federation, UK. A body called the Sikh Press Association appears to have posted a video of the remarks on Twitter, accusing the Home Secretary of misrepresenting Sikhs in the statement.
My curiosity aroused, I went through the text of the remarks that had elicited this much-delayed reaction! In a long speech of around 4000 words, I could only find eleven words for Sikh separatist extremism! To be precise, she said, “Sikh separatist extremism has also caused considerable tensions in recent years. While we stoutly defend freedom of expression, it must always be within the law.” The second sentence is a general statement of an unobjectionable principle that freedom of speech must be exercised within the law! The overall speech focused on a number of issues that also included terrorism and the UK’s determination to deal with it.
The more I tried to unravel the story, the more confused I became! What did she say to arouse this angry reaction? Moreover, what was it that prompted a respected mainstream Indian newspaper to print such a reaction, four months after the speech was made?
Chairman of the British Sikh Association, who is a peer in the House of Lords, Lord Rami Ranger, seemed to articulate a similar view in his statement to TOI when he said that as Home Secretary of the UK, Patel "is right to ensure Britain never becomes a launchpad for terrorists".
There appears to be no controversy amongst the UK’s Sikh community on the subject. Neither the Sikh Federation nor the individuals quoted represent the Sikh community in the UK. During the last three years, it is understood that the Sikh Federation has been largely squeezed out by the community in the UK. A majority of the UK based Sikhs do not subscribe to extremist ideology and views of radical groups. In fact, the community has been gravely concerned about the damage that the presence of radical elements does to the image of this hardworking and successful community. The Sikhs in the UK are also concerned that attempts to radicalise the Sikh youth in the UK could end up ruining the lives of their children who are the targets of the radicals. I personally heard these concerns from assorted members of the community.
In his statement, Lord Ranger added that no Prime Minister had promoted the lives and teachings of Sikh Gurus on a national and international level before. "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has gone out of the way to support Sikhs. Kartarpur corridor is a good example and withdrawal of the farm bills is another.”
I was privileged to see the growing bond of affection for India amongst the Sikh diaspora in the UK during the celebrations of the 550 years of Guru Nanak Devji. During the year-long celebrations, we witnessed boundless enthusiasm from within the community at events organised across the length and breadth of the UK. Be it Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, the Sikh diaspora eagerly attended the various events. An exhibition on the life and teachings of the holy Guru explained through simple pictures and paintings was much in demand from the community. The culmination of the year-long celebrations was held on Gurupurab at the grand Guildhall in the city of London and was attended by more than 1500 prominent members of the Sikh community from all corners of the UK. Gurudwara leaders, entrepreneurs, scholars, prominent achievers from various fields and professions, joined the Indian and UK dignitaries.
During these celebrations, we received threats on more than one occasion from some extremists to prevent us from holding the celebrations. But we chose to ignore them. There were also demonstrations outside the India House in London during my time, by some of these extremists. I saw videos of the extremists attacking innocent and elderly members of the Indian diaspora (men, women and children), burning and insulting the Indian flag and making other attempts to intimidate us. On more than one occasion, some of them were apprehended by the Police, including for possessing and brandishing a knife. With this background, should anybody be surprised that the Home Secretary remembered to put some words on the subject in her speech! As a UK Government spokesperson said to TOI, "We are committed to tackling those who spread views that promote hatred against individuals and communities and work closely with international partners to tackle extremism in all its forms."
The radical extremists belonging to known violent groups are obviously concerned about their diminishing clout and disappearing support amongst the Sikh diaspora in the UK. It is apparent that this controversy was manufactured to reinvigorate their vanishing base. They seem to have ridden on the coattails of the Sikh Federation.
